The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  "Li Siye, think of a way to hold him! I'll be there soon!"

  Wang Chong didn't have any more time left to think. He once more raised his sword, placing both hands on its hilt. Boom!There was another heaven-shaking boom as the sword roared. Wang Chong shot up from the ground, his Wootz Steel sword drawing a massive arc through the air as it slashed down!

  Boom!

  Violet flames were cleaved apart by the sword while the massive figure of Lu Wu was also forced back into the ground.

  Roar!

  Waves of energy spread outward as the bloody flame in Lu Wu's eyes strengthened. His massive arms swung down at Wang Chong's head.

  The touch of a single palm would cause even steel to crumple and rock to shatter, let alone a body of flesh and bone. But as Lu Wu's arms flew through the air, clang! A sword taller than a man slashed at his arms. Lu Wu howled in pain as his arms were jolted away by Li Siye.

  Lu Wu's left hand came in to strike Wang Chong, but Li Siye swiftly turned his sword around and again jolted it away.

  This pair worked with extreme speed and harmony. While Li Siye was fending off Lu Wu's attacks, Wang Chong reached out two fingers and plunged them into the gap made when Wang Xiaoyao pulled out the scales.

  By ripping off the scales, Wang Xiaoyao had also created several small wounds.

  "Little Yinyang Art!"

  With his two fingers inserted into Lu Wu's neck, Wang Chong instantly activated the most heretical of the world's techniques, the Little Yinyang Art. The Little Yinyang Art originally required the use of the Little Yinyang Sword as well as for the opponent to be heavily injured or on the brink of death. However, Wang Chong had greatly advanced in the Little Yinyang Art, causing it to undergo a qualitative change.

  From a certain perspective, a perfected Little Yinyang Art already possessed a part of the abilities of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art. Even if Wang Chong didn't use the Little Yinyang Sword and his opponent wasn't heavily injured or dying, he could still absorb their energy.

  This was the true face of the world's evilest art, but Wang Chong's abilities were still shallow. He couldn't be like the Demonic Emperor Old Man, instantly sucking away his opponent's energy and transforming them into a dried-up husk.

  Even so, this was enough for Wang Chong.

  Rumble! A rich, cold, and domineering energy began to surge from Lu Wu's body into Wang Chong's body, instantly dispersing into Wang Chong's meridians.

  Wang Chong suddenly felt like he had been dropped into an ice house, his meridians and blood energy seeming to freeze. Strangely, however, this icy and domineering energy also seemed to contain the heat of a volcano.

  The contrast of these two opposite energies, hot and cold, made Wang Chong feel like his body was being torn apart.

  Wang Chong had never experienced something like this. After all the opponents he had fought, this was the first time Wang Chong had ever encountered such a strange energy.

  "What sort of monster is this?"

  Wang Chong's entire body shivered. Even Great Generals wouldn't possess such a complicated Stellar Energy, but this strange monster did.

  However, Wang Chong quickly discovered the advantages of this energy. A boundless vigor began to surge through his body. His Stellar Energy reserves had been greatly exhausted through this battle, but not only were they now replenished, Wang Chong discovered that the injuries inflicted by violet flames were instantly healed. Even his muscles and cells were invigorated.

  Wang Chong had truly never encountered such a unique form of energy.

  Boom!

  In a flash of light and a gust of wind, two black silhouettes swiftly began to hurtle toward Wang Chong. Boom! Wang Chong's eyes flashed as his body jumped away from Lu Wu's head, barely managing to avoid Lu Wu's lethal attack.

  "Owwww!"

  Lu Wu's eyes blazed with killing intent. As he saw Wang Chong leap away, he raised his head, pushed with his legs, and shot like a cannonball into the air in pursuit.

  But before he could get very far, two steely hands caught his ankles and flung him back down to the ground.

  "Get down here!"

  Li Siye's furious roar shook the heavens. Time and time again, Lu Wu had managed to beat him down, stimulating the rage of this proud and irritable Invincible Great General.

  His fist burst into violet flame and his Stellar Energy was continuously burned away. Even the clothes on his chest were burned away, revealing his bulging muscle, yet Li Siye did not care.

  Boom!

  Lunging forward, his eyes spitting flame, Li Siye charged toward Lu Wu like a beast, punch after punch landing against the giant as they fell into combat.

  Meanwhile, Wang Chong had landed on the nearby ruins of a wall. With a light leap, he shot back into the fray, his fingers once more plunging into Lu Wu's neck. The Little Yinyang Art was activated again and that icy and domineering energy once more surged into his body.

  Wang Chong's strength was quickly increasing. In a few short moments, he had returned to his peak energy levels. In contrast, Lu Wu, whose strength had been swelling this entire time, suddenly found his strength wavering like a candle in the wind under the effects of the Little Yinyang Art.

  Although his strength was still rising, the rate had clearly been slowed.

  Chapter 669: Finding a Clue!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "Damn it! What sort of technique does this brat have that he's even able to absorb Lu Wu's energy?"

  Outside the Wang Clan Residence, the black-robed leader wearing the demon mask, seated on a roof to the northwest, suddenly stood up. His teeth were clenched as he viciously glared at Wang Chong.

  "Leader, we did not receive any information on the target having this ability. He was probably hiding it," said a black-robed man from the side. His bearing was that of an attendant, his expression extremely respectful.

  Bang! Before he could finish speaking, a massive stream of energy struck and sent him flying twenty-some zhang.

  "What hidden ability? It's clear that your investigation was poor. You essentially gathered no information about the target."

  The leader's eyes were spitting flames, his expression wrathful.

  This was not Lu Wu's first operation. He had existed for more than a century and handled even greater opponents. Never had he needed to use this much time. It usually only required a few moments for Lu Wu to smoothly dispose of the target, with the rest of the time taken up with winding things down.

  But in this operation, the same Lu Wu was finding himself hindered at every turn, and the target could even absorb Lu Wu's strength. Such a situation had never occurred.

  No one could endure Lu Wu's energy. In past experiments, all people who interacted with his energy died without exception. But now, right before their eyes, someone could extract Lu Wu's strength without the assistance of any sort of tool or device.

  If they were not witnessing it, they would have never dared to believed that such a thing was possible.

  "Leader, should we dispatch people within to work with Lu Wu to kill him?" another black-robed man proposed.

  "Have you gone senile? Lu Wu can't tell friend from foe. When he starts killing, he won't let anyone go. How could we work with him?"

  The black-robed man who had offered the suggestion immediately fell quiet.

  "We can't do anything right now except maintain the boundary. In addition, the information that the target can absorb Lu Wu's energy must be immediately reported," the black-robed leader harshly commanded. "Also, recite the mantra for hardening the formation and prepare to stimulate Lu Wu's strength. No matter what, we have to kill the target as quickly as possible."

  "But, Leader, this will harm Lu Wu and lessen his life. The Lord will not be happy."

  "This isn't something you should be worrying about. All of you know just how powerful Lu Wu's energy is. Only the heavens know what will happen if the target is able to absorb large quantities of it.
If the mission is failed, who here can bear the responsibility? Do you want all of us to die here?"

  The surrounding men quickly fell silent, no one stating any further objections to their leader's orders. They began to chant strange spells, causing black smoke to roil up and vanish into the dark shroud covering the Wang Clan Residence.

  ……

  Within the estate, the battle between Lu Wu and the trio of Wang Chong, Li Siye, and Wang Xiaoyao had reached a fever pitch. Smoke roiled everywhere while gravel and wood shards were sent flying this way and that by waves of energy.

  As these pieces of debris struck the surrounding walls, they left a dense patchwork of holes, each about the size of a finger.

  "Ah!"

  Cries of alarm came from the distance. The maids and servants trembled in fear, their faces pale.

  The Wang Clan was a clan of ministers and generals, its perimeter patrolled by the Imperial Army. It considered itself to be absolutely safe in the capital.

  None of these people had ever experienced something like this. That human-shaped monster had already destroyed more than half of the Wang Clan Residence, leaving only ruins and desolation.

  "What's going on? Such a major incident, so why hasn't the Imperial Army arrived?"

  Several dozen zhang away, Wang Chong's mother, Madam Wang, stood next to an artificial mountain, her face ghastly pale and fraught with concern.

  "Madam, the steward has already left to call them, but for some reason he hasn't returned," a servant girl said in a trembling voice, her face pale and her lips pursed.

  "Take some people to go and see. We have to get the Imperial Army here," Madam Wang said.

  Wang Chong and Wang Xiaoyao were both extremely strong, but it was clear that the brother and sister pair along with Li Siye were on the losing side.

  Even someone like Madam Wang, who did not practice martial arts, could tell that Wang Chong's defeat was only a matter of time.

  "Little Sister, get control of his legs!

  "Li Siye, pay attention to his hands! Do all you can to suppress him! Don't give him time to attack me or my sister.

  "Little Yinyang Art!"

  ……

  Wang Chong was constantly working together with Li Siye and Wang Xiaoyao to hold down Lu Wu.

  Wang Chong could already tell that the Little Yinyang Art was critical for dealing with this monster. As long as he could absorb the monster's energy, the monster could be constrained to a certain level of strength.

  But this was still far from enough, as this monster had a very unique strength. As time passed, he would grow stronger and stronger, with not even the Little Yinyang Art capable of halting this trend.

  "No! If this continues, we'll be exhausted to death!" Wang Chong suddenly said.

  In the southwestern war, he had killed more than ten thousand Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers in a row, but against this black-scaled monster, Wang Chong was like a child trying to hold down a giant beast. There was a constant feeling that he would get shaken off and lose control.

  Moreover, the monster's violet flames still presented an enormous threat. Wang Chong could use the Little Yinyang Art to replenish his energy, and his little sister was born with a godly strength, so she could manage without Stellar Energy.

  But Li Siye was clearly reaching his breaking point.

  More than half of his energy had been burned away by the violet flames. If this continued, Li Siye would soon drop out of the battle, and then they would all be dead.

  "Young Master, hurry and leave. I'll hold it down while you and the madam withdraw! Our strength alone isn't enough to deal with this monster! We have to call over the experts of the Imperial Army and work with them," Li Siye said, his chest heaving, his body drenched in sweat. It was clear that he had consumed a great deal of strength.

  "No, you take my little sister and leave while I delay him!"

  Before Wang Chong could finish speaking, he heard a childish and dissatisfied voice at his ear.

  "Hmph, the two of you can leave if you want, but I won't! I don't believe that I can lose to him."

  Wang Xiaoyao's face was stubborn, and her fuming demeanor was enough to give Wang Chong and Li Siye headaches. Wang Xiaoyao was completely different from how she was before. With her mind set, not even Wang Chong and Li Siye together could change her mind.

  Perhaps this could have been put aside at any other time, but right now, this was fatal!

  Li Siye said nothing, only shot Wang Chong a hurried glance in a brief interval in the battle. This little lady of the Wang Clan had a willful demeanor, a high status, and most importantly, an astonishing level of strength. Li Siye did not have the authority to order her around.

  He could only rely on Wang Chong for that.

  "Little Sister, don't mess around!" Wang Chong said with a deep frown.

  "Hmph, I don't care!"

  Wang Xiaoyao was resolved, charging forward to fight with Lu Wu. Waves of energy shot out, causing the clouds of dust engulfing the Wang Clan Residence to grow thicker and thicker.

  Boom!

  Wang Xiaoyao had departed quickly and now returned just as quickly. With a boom, a black silhouette shot out of the dust and crashed into the ground in a spray of debris.

  Roar!

  After sending Wang Xiaoyao flying with a punch, Lu Wu immediately lunged at Wang Chong with a roar, his crimson eyes shining in the darkness.

  "Something's wrong!"

  As he looked at those crimson eyes, a thought occurred to Wang Chong, an idea that was growing clearer and clearer. This monster was definitely aiming at him, and amongst the trio, he was the one that had been pursued the most.

  This made Wang Chong feel somewhat like he was prey.

  But this was not the most important point. As Wang Chong listened to Lu Wu's roars, he realized something.

  Ever since the battle had started, Wang Chong had not heard this monster shout anything except 'Kill kill' or 'Kill everyone'.

  This wasn't the reaction of any intelligent being.

  And in the monster's eyes, Wang Chong could only see endless madness and chaos.

  …If there's only madness and chaos, then one can't differentiate between friend or foe. Little Sister and Li Siye would also become his targets. He definitely wouldn't be attacking only me like he is now. At the very least, it's clear that his primary target is me. A monster descended into madness shouldn't be able to do this.

  Wang Chong scanned the surroundings. At a glance, everything seemed normal, but then, Wang Chong felt his heart thump as he noticed that something was strange.

  The capital was at the feet of the Son of Heaven and held a population nearing ten million people, making it the most prosperous and bustling place in the world. Even though many stores had closed for the day by now, businesses would continue to operate until late into the night.

  And even at the latest hour, there were many wealthy clans near the Wang Clan Residence who would have lanterns lit in their homes or large red lanterns hanging down from their eaves.

  But all Wang Chong could see was pitch-black. He could see no other lantern lights except those within the Wang Clan Residence.

  Moreover, even though they had fought for so long and created such a ruckus, there was no sign of activity from outside, not even the bark of a dog.

  This isn't right. Something abnormal is going on.

  Wang Chong's brow creased as he began to understand.

  Roar! A silhouette suddenly lunged out from behind. Wang Chong immediately jumped, barely dodging the attack, but the artificial mountain next to him was not so lucky.

  Boom! The artificial mountain that had been as high as two people was pulverized by some invisible energy, leaving nothing behind. It was like it had been vaporized.

  Wang Chong landed on the twisted branches of a plum tree and hollered out, "All Wang Clan guards, hear my order! Immediately leave and inspect the surroundings! Seize any suspicious persons!"

  That monster was extremely power
ful, and the violet flames he emitted would immediately kill people who were too weak. Thus, all the Wang Clan guards who were still alive had been driven away and were hiding some distance away.

  Chapter 670: Enemy Discovered!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "Yes, Young Master!"

  "Didn't you hear? Hurry and go!"

  The guards immediately took off.

  ……

  "Madam, Young Master, it's bad!"

  Not long after the guards left, a set of panicked shouts could be heard from the direction of the Wang Clan's main gate. The brown-robed steward who had left on Madam Wang's orders to seek assistance was now running back with a crowd of maids and servants, shouting as he ran.

  "…The main gate has been blocked by something. The maids and I tried everything and still couldn't get out!"

  "You couldn't even get over the walls?" asked one of Madam Wang's yellow-robed personal maids worriedly.

  "It was useless. We tried getting over, but something was stopping us. Miss Zhang even bloodied her face," a pretty maid behind the steward said, her face a ghastly shade of white. It appeared like she had received a rather major shock.

  Buzz!

  At times, when the speaker might not have meant anything by their words, the listener might interpret their own meaning. While the Wang Clan maids in the distance were still dumbfounded, Wang Chong felt his heart jump as he suddenly dropped back to the ground.

  While he might have only had conjectures at the start, Wang Chong could now be sure that tonight's sneak attack did not consist solely of this monster. There was assuredly a group of significant size outside.

  And these people had come specifically for him.

  Jiange… the black-robed people…

  As this thought shot through Wang Chong's mind, he suddenly understood and his face twisted into a nasty grimace. After the major victory in the southwest, Wang Chong had become the thorn in the eyes of all the foreign countries: Ü-Tsang, Mengshe Zhao, the Turks, Goguryeo. They wanted nothing more than to get rid of him as quickly as possible.